Ringing in the New Year....

I wanted to get one more post in before it became officially 2009!!

This year has went by surprisingly fast. I never thought that we would be where we are now with our lives. If you asked me last year....what are your predictions for 2008. I would have said....I would be without my husband for half of it. That is all I could tell you. I knew that things would come up but not the best one....having another baby! That was his decision...something that I was waiting on since the birth of Damien!!

This day/night is very hard for me because we have always made it a point to be together when the new year rang in. Something that I make him do...lol!! But this year...will be the first year that I don't even get to be on the phone with him when the clock strikes midnight. But I will have the next best thing...my son and my friends...well, if we all can stay up...lol!!

As for our plans for this evening....Cassie has decided that we should do a New Years Eve dinner!! I am beyond excited for this because I know that I will get to be with my friends for the evening and be surrounded by loved ones!! Just knowing that I will have them...makes ringing in the New Year...just that much easier!!

Anyways, sorry for the scattered thoughts. I just wanted to let it out and hopefully I will have some pictures from the dinner and night.

Happy New Years to all my friends and family!! With out you all....this year would have been a very hard one to swallow!! I couldn't have picked better people to know and hope that I will be blessed again next year like I was this year!!

With all our love,
the Sledds
Barry, Marie and Damien

Christmas....

was a good day. Damien and I started the morning by opening all his presents and then just hanging out and playing with all of them..lol!! After that....I got tired of the mess and began cleaning around him and trying to find a home for all his new toys!!

Later that evening we went over to a good friends of ours....the Potters....to have Christmas Dinner with them and our other good friends....the Ingles and the Shippees!!! It was so nice to have someone to celebrate the day with!! The food was great and like always....so was the company!!

Damien and I were blessed this year because of our great friends that loved us while our husband/daddy was away!! You don't come across many people that are your friend with no strings attach!! And I will forever hold them in my heart and never let the friendship die!! They have become so much more to me...they are now my family!!!

So, I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas because even though I didn't have my soul mate with me this year....I had the next best thing!!! And it made the holiday season that much more bearable!!!

All of our love,
Marie and Damien

Becky came for a visit with Kaya!!

Damien showing his love for Kaya

both of them being cute!

I swear he is just like his daddy!!

On Thrusday, we got to have my sister over for the day!! It was so nice seeing her and playing with Kaya!! It was a very short visit but better than nothing.

Damien was so in love with his cousin, Kaya! He wanted to hold her and love on her! He kept trying to give her the pacifier...lol!!

I can't wait to see her again...I am hoping that it be a long time til we see her again. I am sure she will be back after Lance is born but hopefully...I can go see her before then. Who knows...we shall see!!

Damien's Christmas Party

opening his book from the exchange

trying to take a pic...but he loves his food!

On the 18th of December....Damien had his last day of school til the next year. They celebrated Jesus' Birthday! We(the parents) got to join them and have fun!! I love going bc they always say a prayer and I love how they get them to put their hands together and say "Amen!" It is very cute!! I might have to post a video of it one day...

They had snacks, did a book exchange and then went home...lol!! Damien had so much fun...I am really happy that he is going to this school. He has learned so much already!!

Visit with Santa

Well, I was so worried that this would be the year that Damien would find the fear that over comes many children...SANTA!!! So, I decided to go with another friend....Vicky and Spencer....to let Damien watch and see that it is not that bad!! Don't know if it worked or if he just isn't scared of him...But we got a picture with Santa and there were no tears!!

Now I know he looks scared but if you were there for the whole thing...You would have seen a very calm child that just wanted to get it over with so he could see the picture after it was taken!! LOL!! Oh and his mommy brided him with a peppermint!! That is what he is holding onto....hehehe!!

Damien and Santa....2008

Our family pic...trying to keep up the tradition

Well, even though we are minus one....I was trying to keep up the tradition and get a "family" photo to go out in our Christmas Cards. So, this is the best that we could do with just Damien and I running back and forth to the camera...lol!! Enjoy and you should be getting these soon!!

Damien by the tree

Damien and Me

Here we are again

Getting into the spirit...

Well, after Thanksgiving...My good friend Cassie came over and put up my christmas lights for the house! And then the following week, she came back and helped me lug my tree into the house and put it in the stand!If it wasn't for her...I wouldn't be all ready for Christmas!!

And these pics are the result of having good friends while your hubby is deployed!!

Our home

Our tree!!

Black Friday...

I will admit...I never went out the day after Thanksgiving to go shopping. I normally would have to work that day! And since I usually saw what it looked like while I was working...I never thought I would be one of those that would get up and go!!

Well, this year...I gave it a try and even brought Damien with me. I know...I know!! Am I crazy...guess so. But I wasn't in the mind frame of...."I GOT TO HAVE IT!" So, I was able to protect my son from the CRAZY's and keep him out of harms way.

He did really great...considering he was up since 4am!! He didn't run away in Toys R Us. He stood in line and played with the toys next to us. He had a few mini meltdowns but all in all...he was a trooper!!

Would I do this again? Probably not for a very long time! Maybe to buy some thing for my house or us. But not for Christmas gifts!! My goal from now on is to have everything bought and wrapped by the 1st of December...lol!! I know...wishful thinking but one day I will be that on top of it!!

So, to all of you that went out and shopped with all the CRAZY's...hope you found what you were looking for!! I know they weren't selling what I wanted most...lol...and that was...SLEEP!! But I did have fun spending time with Cassie and got to check off another life experience....SHOPPING ON BLACK FRIDAY...check!!

Thanksgiving....

some of the yummy food

more of the yummy food
and the last of our spread!!

Damien and Nathan enjoying themselves!!

and of course...my extended family...

Jessica, myself and Cassie!!

went very well. This year, like last year, I was without Barry! So, a few of us....Jessica and Cassie....combined our families and had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner!! The kids enjoyed each other and I know we enjoyed our adult conversation!!

We had so much food between the 3 of us...you would have thought we were trying to feed a family of 10...lol!!!

I am so blessed to have great friends in my life bc without them....I would have been in my house with Damien and the dogs...eating who knows what for Thanksgiving Dinner!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and was able to share it with people they love!!

All our love,
the Sledds

Damien got a new bed....

Well, with us having another baby soon. We felt it was time to transition him into a Big Boy Bed before Lance arrived. He was sleeping in the crib but it was changed to a toddler bed. He did really well in it and I was a bit nervous as to how he would react to the new bed.

He did better than I could have ever imagined....he can get in and out of it with no problem! He had a bit of an issue in the begining bc he was nervous bc he couldn't touch on the very last step but he got over it rather quickly!! I think the only problem we are having is that he is having too much fun in his room now and doesn't like sleeping....ugh!!

I can't believe we have a Big Boy now!! He looks so tiny in his new bed!! And in the pics...I am still working on making it both the boys room...so the decore is slowly getting done. So, don't mind the craziness going on the walls!!

Enjoy the pics....

hugs
Marie and Damien

Damien's Birthday

opening presents

eating the cake

helping mommy cut the cake

wearing his party hat

Standing by his presents

Has come and gone!! We did have a party for him...he got to share it with some friends of his!! Even though it was a small gathering...he still had so much fun with his friends. I am sure the cake and ice cream was the best part!!

He really surprised me this year bc he was really interested in the gifts. He wanted to pick which one was next and he wanted to open it on his own!! He even was very animated everytime he opened a new one!! It was very cute to watch!!


I wish all of our friends and family could have been here to help celebrate but he will have many more!!


Hope you enjoy the pics!!
Love to all,
Marie and Damien

Happy Halloween!!!

Damien checking out the headless scarecrow

thought he should just go on in and get what he came for

he wanted to put it in the bucket

the start of our night...he didn't know what was going on!!

this is at Cassies' right before we left to go Trick or Treating!!

Well, tonight was fun and was such a success!! Damien loved every minute of it and got into it once he realized what he was getting in his bucket!! His favorite thing was looking at all the decorations that they had out. At one house he had to touch every pumpkin and figure out on their porch!! All I could do was laugh..at one point he was trying to run to the next house but got tired...lol!! He even started eating the candy with the wrappers on!! His M&Ms looked like a mouse ate through it!!

By the end of the night...I was completely worn out and so was my little darling devil!! And he was such a cuddle bug on our walk back to the car!

I hope everyone had a great night like we did!! And Happy Halloween!!

All our love,
Marie and Damien

Pumpkin Patch

Damien as a pumpkin

So proud of his find

Attempting to take a picture together

We did this a year ago too..but he would look at me...lol

Crawling through the pumpkins!!

Today was a fun day. We decided to venture out to Marble Falls and go to the Sweet Berry Farm and visit their Pumpkin Patch!! We went there last year with 3 other families and this year...it was just me and Damien and our good friend Cassie and her boys Nathan and Nicholas!!

The ride up there was fun and interesting...lets just say 3 kids and directions...don't mix well...lol!! We did make it there with no problems...just took us a bit longer than expected!!

We took tons of pictures, painted some pumpkins and went on a hay ride! They even petting some goats, ran all through the pumpkins they had laying around. All 3 of the boys enjoyed themselves...to the point of exhaustion...well, after their bellies became full...lol!!

Hope you all enjoyed the pics...it was a very trying time for me...I would have loved him to sit still and look at my camera....lol!!!

All our love,
Marie and Damien

Diaper Shower

Me and My hosts....Vicky, Cassie and Jessica!!

part one of all the guests
part two of all the guests
what we were blessed with
me being silly before...just bc I can!!

On the 10th of October....my 3 really great great friends threw me a diaper shower for Lance! It was way more than I could have every expected!! From the decor to the food and even the toast...it was beyond what I have every experienced...I can truly say that I am blessed to have found these 3 wonderful ladies!! I had great friends come and "shower" me and Lance with so many diapers and a few extra accessories!! I received 3 diaper cakes...all of them are sooo beautiful!!



For those of you that came...Thank you!! It meant so much to me because you didn't have to and you did!!



For those of you that couldn't come but still felt that Lance should be blessed with gifts...Thank you because you didn't have to take that extra step and you did!!



And to Jessica, Cassie and Vicky...from the bottom of my heart...Thank you so much!! I don't know if you will every know how lucky I feel to have you 3 in my life!! You ladies will always hold a special place in my heart and life...



Hugs to All,

Marie and baby Lance

Update on Barry....

Barry at work

being silly
doing his favorite...the shocker!!
all the guys that are with him in BIAP
posing for a pic

He is doing fine...not really much to say other than he is ready to home!! He has been keeping up with us via Yahoo Messenger...so, I am pretty much spoiled and very blessed that I get to talk to him at least once a day! We are both counting the days down for him to come home and help bring our newest addition home...He recently sent some pictures. Hope you enjoy bc I know I did!! And if you have been praying for him...please keep doing it and for all the others that are there with him...



hugs,
Marie & Damien

Another lovely Rainy Day!!!

Damien helping himself to some water!!

trying to get out of the rain...lol
mouth full of water!!
spitting the water out...
Finally got him to look at me!!!

Damien LOVES rainy days!! I am not sure where he gets it from...but if I remember right...I used to like splashing in rain puddles!! Hope you all enjoy the pics of him playing...he was having too much fun!!